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"Brown Smith" Chen Wendong
Interpret the charm of mountain palm with your hands
Zhao Path
"Don't listen to the sound of the leaves beating through the forest, why not groan and walk slowly." Bamboo cane mango shoes light victory over horses, who is afraid? A cloud of smoke and rain is a life of peace. "In ancient times, when it rained, it was the world of the coat. What is a coat? It is the wisdom of the ancients, made of palm leaf silk and brown rope.
Brown weaving, which originated in the Warring States, is a folk craft that uses the leaves, palm flakes and brown skins of palm trees growing in the south of the mainland as raw materials for weaving, mainly in Hunan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and other places. Natural mountain palm, known as "forest treasure", the material is natural, with breathable, durable, not afraid of water, no mildew, no insects and other characteristics. Brown rope, mattresses, palm coats, and mountain palm brushes made of mountain palms were sought after by the people in the past as healthy household items.
With the continuous development and progress of society, industrial production is gradually replacing traditional handicrafts. However, in the territory of Muchuan County, due to the large number of mountain palm trees distributed in the forest, the local mountain palm products are rich and diverse, and the mountain palm production technology has been passed down to this day, and the "Chen's Mountain Palm Handicraft in Danan Town" has been listed as an intangible cultural heritage project in Muchuan County.
Chen Wendong is making mountain palm silk tea mats
The transformation of a chemical man
At the Chen's Brown Products Factory in Jinpen Village, Danan Town, Muchuan County, I met chen Wendong, the inheritor, who was making brown bandages with several brown craftsmen. On one side, a booth made of bamboo displays a range of brown products, coats, brooms, brown brushes, and some innovative ornaments.
Talking about these brown products, Chen Wendong said: "It is still quite difficult along the way, much more difficult than working in the chemical industry. ”
I grew up in the countryside, and at that time, 'jumping out of the farm' was my parents' biggest expectation. After graduating from junior high school, I chose a chemical school, and I clearly remember that when I transferred my household registration from the countryside to the school, the joy of the whole family overflowed into words. Chen Wendong recalled, "After graduation, I entered the chemical industry and worked for 13 years. ”
Why does a chemical man suddenly transform into a brown bandage?
"In 2012, the new house in the family was renovated and ready to move in, and the whole family went to clean up. At noon, I put my one-year-old son in bed for a nap, and when he woke up, he had several red spots on his face, and the same situation appeared for two consecutive days. Chen Wendong said that with his experience working in the chemical industry, he realized that the formaldehyde in the new house exceeded the standard.
Made brown mattress
The mattress is the closest household item to the body, Chen Wendong suddenly thought of the brown bandage in his hometown. Brown smiths often carry simple labor tools, go from house to house, sew clothes for the villagers, and weave brown rope bandage beds for families with conditions. And Chen Wendong's father is an excellent brown smith.
After a big circle, a mattress completely brought a chemical man into the old business that he didn't look down on as a child. Chen Wendong decided to return to his hometown where he once wanted to leave the most, and devoted the rest of his life to the ancient handicraft industry of palm bandages.
All kinds of mountain palm handicrafts
Step by step to achieve the best in the industry
Involved in a new industry, just with enthusiasm is not enough. Chen Wendong analyzed the palm bandage industry and found that there are very few people who make palm bandages, on the one hand, the process is complex and time-consuming, on the other hand, the market acceptance of the price of pure handmade palm bandages is not high.
The author understands that the production of brown bandage process is long and complex, the mountain palm this plant material, through spinning rope, hooking, bandage, weaving, wedge tightening, anti-loose and other techniques, and finally made into a brown bandage bed, pure natural formaldehyde-free, breathable and breathable, hard and not stiff, can well protect the health of the human spine. At the same time, the brown bandage can weave a variety of traditional patterns such as "Fulu Shouki", octagonal flowers, window flower lattice, etc., with rich meanings.
In order to make the brown bandage better, Chen Wendong ran from east to west, examined the weaving technology of brown bandages in various places, and made up for his strengths; he invented and developed a lot of auxiliary tools to save effort and time in the production process... At the same time, Chen Wendong organized the traditional brown smiths and carpenters who had changed careers to discuss the way out of mountain palm handicrafts and the development of the industry.
"Under the leadership of the teacher Fu, under the premise of retaining the core elements of the brown bandage unchanged, I have done various attempts and tests with the brown craftsmen, and have done one layer of brown rope, two layers of brown rope, and three layers of brown rope; I have done no horizontal support, one horizontal support, two horizontal support; one person pulling the rope, two people pulling the rope, and three people pulling the rope..." Chen Wendong laughed and said, "My belief is that step by step to achieve the best in the industry, there is no one." ”
Pandas wear brown hats
Tradition and modernity are combined
In modern society, more and more rapid integration of business, let us get convenience at the same time, but forget the unique beauty of handicrafts. Mountain palm, this simple work from nature, under the novel design and innovation of the brown smith, shines its own unique brilliance.
In addition to inheriting the classic palm handicrafts such as weaving palm bandages and brooms, Chen Wendong combines natural materials, traditional skills and modern innovative technologies of mountain palm to successfully develop and produce "mountain palm silk vase series works", "mountain palm silk woven tea tray" and "mountain palm silk dolphin" and other works.
Seeing the works on the wall, Chen Wendong sighed: "Many people say that machines will grab the work of their hands and will rob people's jobs. As a craftsman, I have never been opposed to industrial machines, not to improving efficiency while maintaining good quality, so I try some new methods and tools every year, just to be able to do crafts faster and better. ”
At present, only 7 people from Chen's Chen's village in Danan Town are engaged in mountain palm handicrafts, while Muchuan County's Chen's Palm Products Factory has initially formed a business model of online and offline sales of mountain palm handmade products. The mountain palm production products of Danan Town have penetrated into all aspects of production and life, and have also witnessed the local traditional production and life and development to a certain extent, after long-term accumulation, unique and exquisite skills, reflecting the simple folk customs of Muchuan and the wisdom of Muchuan people, with local characteristics.
Talking about the future development, Chen Wendong said: "Interpret the charm of mountain palm with both hands, and pass on a brown craftsman's understanding of the world and the truth, goodness and beauty to the people who have a relationship through his works. ”
Mountain brown silk woven tea tray
Source: Sichuan Provincial Local History Work Office
Text/Photo: Zhao Jing
Contributed by: Research Office of Party History and Local History of the LESHAN Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China
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